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A, ka oti enei mea, ka haere mai nga rangatira ki ahau, ka mea, Kihai te iwi o Iharaira ratou ko nga tohunga, ko nga Riwaiti, i momotu i a ratou i roto i nga iwi o nga whenua; rite tonu ta ratou mahi ki nga mea whakarihariha a era, ara a nga Kana ani, a nga Hiti, a nga Perihi, a nga Iepuhi, a nga Amoni, a nga Moapi, a nga Ihipiana, a nga Amori.

Kua tangohia hoki e ratou etahi o a ratou tamahine ma ratou, ma a ratou tama. Na kua whakawhenumitia te momo tapu ki roto ki nga iwi o aua whenua. Ae ra, nui noa ake te ringa o nga rangatira, o nga tino tangata, ki tenei he.

Na, i toku rongonga i tenei, haea ana e ahau toku kakahu me toku koroka, hutihutia ana e ahau nga huruhuru o toku matenga, o oku pahau, a noho ana, miharo ana.

Katahi ka huihui mai ki ahau te hunga katoa i wehi i nga kupu a te Atua o Iharaira, he mea mo te he o te hunga i whakaraua: a ko ahau i noho me te miharo, a taea noatia te whakahere o te ahiahi.

Na, i te whakahere o te ahiahi, ka maranga ake ahau i toku whakama, me toku kakahu ano me toku koroka i haehaea; piko ana oku turi, a ka wherahia atu oku ringa ki a Ihowa, ki toku Atua;

Na ka mea ahau, E toku Atua, he whakama ahau, numinumi kau ana ahau, te ara ai toku mata ki a koe, e toku Atua. Kua tetere rawa hoki o matou he ki runga ake i o matou mahunga; nui atu to matou poka ke, a tutuki noa ki te rangi.

Nui atu to matou poka ke, no nga ra ano o o matou matua a taea noatia tenei ra: na o matou he hoki i hoatu ai matou, o matou kingi, o matou tohunga, ki te ringa o nga kingi o nga whenua, ki te hoari, ki te whakarau, hei pahuatanga, a whakama iho te mata, koia ano tenei inaianei.

Na he iti nei tenei wahi i whakaputaina ai he atawhai e Ihowa, e to matou Atua, kia toe ai etahi morehu o matou; kia homai ai ki a matou he titi ki tona wahi tapu, kia whakamaramatia ai o matou kanohi e to matou Atua, kia homai ai ki a matou he o ranga ngakau, he mea iti, i a matou nei i te herehere.

He pononga hoki matou; heoi i a matou i te herehere kihai matou i mahue i to matou Atua: na whakaputaina ana e ia he aroha ki a matou i te aroaro o nga kingi o Pahia, i homai ai he oranga ngakau ki a matou, i whakaarahia ai te whare o to matou At ua, i hanga ai ona wahi kua ururuatia, i homai ai he taiepa ki a matou ki Hura, ki Hiruharama.

10 Na kia pehea he kupu ma matou, e to matou Atua, i muri i tenei? kua whakarerea hoki e matou au whakahau,

11 I whakahaua e koe, ara e au pononga, e nga poropiti: i ki mai hoki koe, Ko te whenua ka haere nei koutou ki reira tango ai, he whenua poke tera i nga poke o nga iwi o nga whenua, i a ratou mea whakarihariha, ki tonu hoki i tetahi pito ki tetahi i to ratou poke.

12 Na, tena, kaua a koutou tamahine e hoatu ma a ratou tama, kaua ano a ratou tamahine e tangohia mai ma a koutou tama; kaua ano e whai kia mau te rongo ki a ratou, kia whai pai ranei ratou a ake ake; kia kaha ai koutou, kia kai ai hoki i nga mea p ai o te whenua, a waiho iho hei kainga mo a koutou tama ake tonu atu.

13 Na kua pa nei enei mea katoa ki a matou mo a matou mahi he, mo te nui o to matou poka ke, a i te mea he iti iho i o matou he au whiu, e to matou Atua, a homai ana e koe tenei wahi whakaoranga:

14 Kia takahi ano ranei matou i au tikanga, kia marena ki nga iwi nana enei whakarihariha? e kore ianei koe e riri ki a matou a poto noa matou i a koe, kore noa he morehu, he oranga?

15 E Ihowa, e te Atua o Iharaira, he tika tau; e toe nei hoki matou, he morehu, koia ano tenei inaianei. Nana, tenei matou kei tou aroaro, me o matou he: na tenei hoki te tu ai he tangata ki tou aroaro.

Ezra’s Prayer About Intermarriage

After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate(A) from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites,(B) Ammonites,(C) Moabites,(D) Egyptians and Amorites.(E) They have taken some of their daughters(F) as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled(G) the holy race(H) with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.”(I)

When I heard this, I tore(J) my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.(K) Then everyone who trembled(L) at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled(M) until the evening sacrifice.

Then, at the evening sacrifice,(N) I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands(O) spread out to the Lord my God and prayed:

“I am too ashamed(P) and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.(Q) From the days of our ancestors(R) until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword(S) and captivity,(T) to pillage and humiliation(U) at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious(V) in leaving us a remnant(W) and giving us a firm place[a](X) in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes(Y) and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves,(Z) our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness(AA) in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins,(AB) and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

10 “But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands(AC) 11 you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering(AD) to possess is a land polluted(AE) by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices(AF) they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. 12 Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them(AG) at any time, that you may be strong(AH) and eat the good things(AI) of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’(AJ)

13 “What has happened to us is a result of our evil(AK) deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved(AL) and have given us a remnant like this. 14 Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry(AM) with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us,(AN) leaving us no remnant(AO) or survivor? 15 Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous!(AP) We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand(AQ) in your presence.(AR)

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 9:8 Or a foothold